IMPORTANT: There are two identical Programming for Dummies Workshops. If you can't make this one, there is also one on Thursday! Also, we're not teaching you C, that's what Imperative Programming is for

Programming for Dummies is here to help you think programmatically! In this lecture-workshop hybrid, we will discuss how programs are like Lego houses, how daily life is full of complex algorithms, and how to cut your tomatoes recursively. All this and more to help those students who have little or no experience with programming to get into the right mind frame.

PS. Note that we will only look at pseudocode - that is, no programming language specifics will be discussed.

The academic year has started again, and of course we already miss drinking with our friends. So we're here to help, we have our monthly social at 't Gat van Groningen with the first 100 beers free! So make sure to be there early to take maximal advantage of this. After that we'll have beer for the low low price of €1,20 until half past 12.

Come see all your friends again and have a (free) beer with the 'tivitee on the 5th!

IMPORTANT: There are two identical Programming for Dummies Workshops. If you can't make this one, there is also one on Wednesday! Also, we're not teaching you C, that's what Imperative Programming is for

Programming for Dummies is here to help you think programmatically! In this lecture-workshop hybrid, we will discuss how programs are like Lego houses, how daily life is full of complex algorithms, and how to cut your tomatoes recursively. All this and more to help those students who have little or no experience with programming to get into the right mind frame.

PS. Note that we will only look at pseudocode - that is, no programming language specifics will be discussed.

At the start of the year it is time for something wonderful again. After the first week of lectures it is again time for the Introductory Camp! This camp is organised for all first-year students of Artificial Intelligence and Computing Science. During the weekend, you can get to know you fellow first-year students and a group of older active members of Cover. There will be games, activities, music and a lot more fun. The theme of this years' camp is "Rewind! A blast to the past". Make sure not to miss out on this great weekend filled with fun and nostalgia, where you have the opportunity to make friends for the rest of your study time! For more information and the sign up form, go to introcee.svcover.nl.

We hereby invite you to the General Assembly on the 10th of September, 2018. The assembly starts at 17:00 in the Bernoulli borg, room 289.

Relevant documents will be made available on the website during the coming weeks. They will be final one week in advance of the assembly and will be emailed to you at that point. From then, they will also be available in the Cover room. Please read them beforehand, to make the assembly go as smoothly as possible.

We would kindly like to remind that the chairman and treasurer of every committee are expected to attend.

If you can’t attend, but still want your vote to count, please fill in the attached authorisation form and hand it over to the secretary of the board. Please use this responsibly and write down specifically how you want your vote to be used.

Everyone survived their first few week of lectures, so it's about time that there is a chill night. The ActiviTee has organised a pool night! You don't have to be good at pooling, you can be a beginner or a pro, everyone is welcome! The first hour of pooling is free.

The second Thursday of September, we will hold the first TAD+ of the academic year!

Want to know what your fellow Cover members have been up to these past months of summer? Want to start your academic career off right by making new friends over a beer? Have an awesome vacation story to tell? Come and join us at the Cover room! There will be free snacks as well.

For the first years reading this, TAD stands for Thursday Afternoon Drinks. A TAD+ is a TAD with a special theme, in this case Welcome (Back)! The Cover room is located in the Bernoulliborg. You can find it by entering the hallway behind the big staircase at the entry.

Come and join us on the lustrum of Cover.
What is a lustrum you said? Well, it's the celebration of an association's birthday every 5 years.
Since we are going to celebrate this in the most outrageous, extravagant and escalating way, we will celebrate this not for just 1 day, not just 3 days, but for a whole week!!!
We will soon start with a theme announcement somewhere soon, and from then on we will slowly leak drops of awesome information.
So hang on, it will be LEGEN...wait for it ...DARY!!!!

Every year, the city of Groningen celebrates The Siege of Groningen. This was a battle that took place in 1672, between Groningen and Bernhard von Galen, bishop form Münster. The bishop has as nickname “Bommen Berend”, due to his excessive use of bombs (Dutch: bommen). They celebrate this victory on 28 August, where they eat the “Groote Maaltijd”. This meal consists of sauerkraut, the bishop’s favourite meal, and a big meatball: the “Bommen Berend Bom”.

We also would like to celebrate this day, but perhaps leaving out the sauerkraut. Therefore we hereby invite you to a battle, where we have swapped the bombs with laser guns. This battle will take place at our beloved Zernike and you can come and leave whenever you want. Don’t forget that people can play dirty, so don’t wear your nicest clothes.

To celebrate the opening of the Lustrum, we will have a Dow Jones party at Lola on the Monday night. During this epic event at a super fancy location, prices of the drinks will fluctuate depending on the supply and demand of that specific drink. For example: if everybody drinks beer, the price of beer will go up, but the price of another drink will go down. If nobody drinks wine, the price of wine will be very low while other prices might go up. So, buy at the right time to get the best drinks for the best prices. At this activity, we will be able to do what we have always wanted to: being able to influence the prices of our own drinks.

Yesterday we got a glimpse of how it might feel to be a stockbroker. If you did a good job, you probably had a lot of fun and perhaps are quite hungover today.
To make things a little bit better for you, we invite you to a so called "brakke brunch". We will provide tasty food and drinks so you can start the day with a smile, despite your possible hangover.

On this afternoon and evening we cordially invite you to our 5^2 feast. A magnificent dinner which will make your eyes sparkle with joy and your belly full.
5^2 feast, what's that you ask?
We will be:
- visiting 5 different locations
- from 5 different countries
- you will get a total of 5 courses
- accompanied with 5 drinks
- in just 5 hours

And all of this for 5^2 euro's!
Dresscode: slightly overdressed
Free for passe-partout platinum members

The initial party hype of the lustrum is over and you are ready for more productive days again? Worry not! The lustrum got you covered with exciting and educational events on Wednesday afternoon. There will be speakers and workshops that will be fun and entertaining. They will offer something new that you haven't tried before! Want to hear more about Cover's past? Or, want to learn how to win in professional debates about any topic? That and more, you will get a chance to visit on Wednesday.

As the room "Het Oog" is quite hard to find, we have a route description for you.
When you enter the Linnaeusborg, take lift A (opposite of the entrance) to the fifth floor. Go to the right hallway, to lift B. Take lift B to the fourth floor, and go to the left. Congratulations, if you walk another 20 meters, you have found the room "Het Oog".
Make sure to leave 15 minutes before the activity starts in the Linnaeusborg, because it is quite a big walk!

Continuing our journey, we have arrived in the wonderful world/experience of Las Vegas. During this lovely evening activity, there will be the opportunity to visit our very own lustrum casino. You can play the best games with amazing lustrum dollars, which you will receive in exchange for your entrance ticket.
If you’ve lost all your dollars, don’t worry! You can always join a bachelorette party, get married in a lovely wedding chapel or take a nice picture with the Eiffel Tower.
Make sure you look Las Vegas worthy!

This day will be the birthday of Cover. Cover will become 25 years old! To celebrate this festive occasion, we will have an outdoor day at the Hoornsemeer. In the afternoon, we will have a tournament with multiple fun games at which you can win a fantastic price if you win with your team. After the tournament there will be a nice barbecue and a party. Of course, we will also take a special moment to dwell upon the fact that Cover just became 25 years old. We will see you there!

The tournament starts at 15:00, so if you wanna compete your fellow students, make sure to be in time!

Before ending the week with the Intergalactic Gala there is time to sit down for dinner with your Cover friends and talk about the great week we all had. During dinner we will present the best photos that have been submitted for the photo challenge and we will announce the overall winner! Next to that we will have a fun game during the dinner. Since alumni are invited to this activity, there is also time to catch up with all your friends from back in the days. After this lovely dinner we will go to the Intergalactic Gala and have a spectacular ending of this week.

After a delicious dinner it’s time for the last lustrumacitvity of the week, the intergalactic gala! We will finish the week in suits and ties for the gentlemen and dresses and high heels for the ladies. There will be unlimited beer, wine, soda and liquor (binnenlands gedestilleerd). With a lot of people at this activity, we want to celebrate the end of the amazing lustrum, and will make sure that this week will never be forgotten! So, suit up and join our trip to the galaxy this evening.

We hereby invite you to the General Assembly on the 24th of September, 2018. The assembly starts at 19:00 At Cafe de Keyzer.

Relevant documents will be made available on the website during the coming weeks. They will be final one week in advance of the assembly and will be emailed to you at that point. From then, they will also be available in the Cover room. Please read them beforehand, to make the assembly go as smoothly as possible.

We would kindly like to remind that the chairman and treasurer of every committee are expected to attend.

If you can’t attend, but still want your vote to count, please fill in an authorisation form and hand it over to the secretary of the board. Please use this responsibly and write down specifically how you want your vote to be used.

We hope to see you on September 24th!

Kind regards,
Board Sharp

October

A party for 300 people of all different kinds of study associations.
The theme is: Prominent around the world! "The party after which you've been everywhere".
Entry price is €19.99,- presale, and €23,- at the door.
Prominent in the Tent is an open bar theme party with beer, wine and sodas included in the price. See you there! Woop!

The Introductory camp may be over, but we are not done yet! Come join us on the ninth of October for our amazing afterparty! There will be free drinks, Bloopers of our role-playing game movie and more! The theme of this night will be "When I was young I wanted to be..." so get your costumes out!

For the first event of the IlluminaTee we are making sure that The Big AI show is free to attend for our members by paying the entrance fee. The talk will cover the challenges of AI including the benefits and drawbacks of Artificial Intelligence as well as it's applications.

The event begins at 19:30 at the Grand Theatre. Talks include the benefits, drawbacks, and challenges of data collecting; our ability to imitate human intelligence; and finding the next big hit song using neural networks. The host, Bram Douwes, has presented several shows in Groningen including "Stand van Stad" and was previously a researcher for "Zondag met Lubach".

It's October: summer is really over now and the weather is starting to get cold and wet. Therefore we are going to do what we do best: stay inside! And what better to be doing inside in October, with Halloween around the corner, than some classic pumpkin carving? Pumpkin carving with fresh pumpkin soup and some free beers with your lovely friends from Cover of course! Join us at Mesacosa for this great activity. It costs 4 euros to join, and there are 25 spots available, so be quick!

We hereby invite you to the General Assembly on the 18th of October, 2018. The assembly starts at 17:00 on Zernike campus.

Relevant documents will be made available soon. They will be final one week in advance of the assembly and will be emailed to you at that point. From then, they will also be available in the Cover room. Please read them beforehand, to make the assembly go as smoothly as possible.

We would kindly like to remind that the chairman and treasurer of every committee are expected to attend.

If you can’t attend, but still want your vote to count, please fill in the authorisation form, which can be found in the Cover room, and hand it over to the secretary of the board. Please use this responsibly and write down specifically how you want your vote to be used.

Do you still have some questions about Statistics? Are some topics still unclear? Join this last unofficial lecture given by students who followed the course in the past. They will walk you through all the content of the course once more and will try to answer your remaining questions.

This will be done by helping you explore and report on the data you find, a skill that is very relevant for the exam. We will not put the main focus on R; the support session is mostly meant to help you fill in some blanks and to explain to you some important bits of the Statistics course. There will also be an opportunity to ask general Statistics (course) questions

Morten Bakker from ASML is visiting us to talk about his experience as an engineer. In the past he has done research on various subjects, including quantum computing. He will tell about his various research subjects and what ASML does with for example image recognition.

Do you have any problems with the course Neurophysics? Do you want help in preparing these topics for your exam? During this study support session, we will discuss the physics component of Neurophysics, in order to help you with topics such as `mechanics' and help you understand the physics subjects that are relevant for your exam.

The Center for Information Technology of the University houses multiple groups that support researchers in their analysis: Data Science, High Performance Computing, Visualisation and Geodienst.

During this afternoon we will get a short introduction into the capabilities of High Performance Computing and Visualisation, and a short demo of the reality center facilities. After that, the Geodienst will give us a Geographic Information Systems workshop where you will learn the basics of QGIS. You might even learn to use some tools that can help you figure out the answer to the age-old question of whether Beijum is part of Groningen!

Due to limited seating, we can only offer 15 places for this workshop so sign up soon!

Do you have any problems with the theory of Imperative Programming? Do you want help in preparing for you exam? During this study support session, we will discuss parts of an old exam and help you understand subjects that are relevant for your exam.

During this lecture, we will also shortly deal with some topics that might need a short reminder, such as the workings of recursion, pointers, etc. There will also we the opportunity to ask questions.

Join this last unofficial lecture given by students who have passed this course in the past.

November

Do you fail to see the logic in Introduction to Logic, or is it not that bad but would you like to hear the explanation for models once more? Are you interested in tips on how to solve formal proofs efficiently? Or do you just need some sort of confirmation that you master the course topics? Then you should definitely attend this study support lecture.

Coen van Leeuwen from TNO is coming to talk about their research on a new algorithm for solving Distributed Constraint Optimization Problems (DCOPs), called CoCoA. These are problems where a set of distributed agents have to co-operate in order to reach a common goal. Examples of these are: selecting non-overlapping Wi-Fi channels in a neighborhood with many access points; organizing a sensor network in a hostile environment where batteries are a scarce resource; maximizing energy distribution in a wireless power transfer network without violating health norms; or co-ordination of a team of mobile search-and-rescue robots who are assigned the task of clearing an area.

Besides complete solvers that are guaranteed to find the optimal solution, there are incomplete solvers that use heuristic methods for this problem that balance solution cost with computational load and communication overhead. CoCoA is such an algorithm in which knowledge is distributed amongst neighboring agents, and assigns a value only once instead of using an iterative approach. Coen will demonstrate its performance compared to existing methods in generic abstract problems, as well as in realistic use cases.

After the talk, we will head to the Cover room to grab a few free beers with each other!

The TAD+ for this month is a pubquiz! You will group up with 2 or 3 other people and write down answers to questions from different categories. The winning team will get a prize! There will, as always, also be free snacks and drinks (until supplies last).

SingularIT takes a look at the future of technology. We aim to educate the audience about how technology and artificial intelligence will shape society, education and healthcare.
Our speakers range from scientists, entrepeneurs, activists and many more. Each of them will give a talk about how their field will be affected by technology that is smarter than humanity, be it in a positive or negative way.
There are two keynotes speakers, and in between of these are three parallel tracks of three sessions. You will be able to choose whichever talk you find the most appealing in each session.

For tickets for the SNiC, please send a mail to extern@svcover.nl or ask someone from the board in person!

Are teachers pressuring you to start working with this weird new thing called LaTeX? Are all your friends using it already but are you struggling to get into it? In this workshop we'll go over the basics so you can start happily writing your reports and papers the way you never knew you wanted to!

The annual Cover LAN has come again! Join us for a whole weekend of gaming, totally healthy snacks and an awesome competition with a surprise prize. We provide free snacks, cheap food and a travel service (for a small fee) so you can bring your whole desktop setup with you. Non-Cover members are also welcome as long as they sign up alongside a Cover member. Places are limited and much coveted. Check lanparty.svcover.nl for more information and to sign up!

Our pumkins are decaying so it's time for the most wonderful time of the year! This year we start quite early with our Christmas party. However, people who put up christmas decorations early are happier, experts say. Therefore, we want to celebrate our December social in Christmas theme🎄🎄. Have a beer with us at our 🎅🎅🎅 PRE-Christmas party 🎅🎅🎅 on the 28th of November. Be aware that this is not the first Wednesday of December as it usual is. The dresscode is ugly Christmas sweater (The uglier the better).

Have you got no clue what you want to become after graduation? Are you uncertain what
career opportunities lie in store for you, in and outside academia? Or do you want to learn
how to present yourself as a potential trainee or employee?

The FSE Career Day aims to give you a broad overview of career possibilities and to boost
your personal branding skills!

The Career Day offers:
• Interesting lectures that will help you figure out what your options are
• Workshops that enable you to determine your career goals, develop your personal
image and improve your CV and LinkedIn profile.
• An information market at which you can have a professional photo taken!

The FSE Career Day is organized mainly for (first years) master students of the faculty of
Science and Engineering, but will also be helpful for bachelor students or PhDs.
Note: first year master students have a lecture-free day scheduled!

Constitute your own Career Day program and subscribe to lectures and workshops from the 12th of november at www.rug.nl/fse/careerday.

December

Join this Sinterklaas tradition, where children (of all ages) leave their shoe next to the fireplace so Sinterklaas can fill it with presents and candy over night (similar to Christmas stocking). The process is very simple, just follow the following steps:

1. Wait until it's the 4th of December 2018.
2. Take your (not smelly) shoe to the Cover room or print and decorate a paper one.
3. Tag it with your name.
4. Leave it in the designated spot before 18:00.
5. Sing your favourite Sinterklaas song (if you know any).
6. Go home and have a good night of sleep.
7. Come back on the 5th of December 2018 and see what Sinterklaas brought you.
8. Shout "Thank you Sinterklaas".
9. Enjoy your present!

Don't worry if you don't have any spare shoes, you can download a template on sinterklaas.svcover.nl. There will be a prize for the best decorated shoe!

Are you curious what is going on in a brewery? Then this is your chance: Join us on the tour at Gronings Baxbier brewery and beer tasting. We will have the tour first, then we will have 3 different special beers 🍺🍺. Afterwards there is time to have some more drinks.

Meet the Researchers is an opportunity to engage with various researchers within the AI and CS departments. Each researcher will give a small introduction about how they got onto their field and a small presentation about their research to inspire your interest in the various fields within AI and CS. The event will conclude with a small drinks outside BB 5161.0151.

This is an opportunity for 2nd and 3rd year BSc AI students to listen to older year students about the elective courses they took. This event is done in cooperation with the Academic Advisor for AI and fellow students.

The Academic Advisor of AI will discuss the compulsory AI programme, the elective courses, the opportunity to study abroad, and more. Students will be there to share their experiences of the practical and elective courses to help you choose how you want to shape your Bachelor degree.

Did you always enjoy your little trampoline in the backyard? Do you have too much energy anyways? Or are you just a crazy fan of trampoline jumping?
Join the Trampoline extravaganza at Jump XL, Europe's greatest extreme fun parks. Show your tricks on the Bigairbag, use your agility on the obstacles and the extreme zone, or throw some balls at your friends in the ultimate dodgeball court.

Fee: 5 euro's, 2 euro's entrance and 3 euro's for special jumping socks. Socks are not mandatory, but you can keep the socks afterwards!
You can also bring your own jumping socks.

What is it like to work in a startup-like environment where your work is not just cut out for you, and every day has different challenges?

Working in a startup is never straightforward, because you (try to) go where no one has gone before. What does it mean to work in a team where no one is 'just a developer' and every one is responsible for the future of the business? How do you define and hold on to a clear vision as a development team?

Jürgen Visser, founder and CTO of Reconcept, shares from experience the challenges of balancing great amounts of freedom and ever present uncertainties of a startup business.

Come join us in the Cover Room for a few free beers, some snacks and interesting insights.

We hereby invite you to the General Assembly on the 17th of December, 2018. The assembly starts at 17:00 on Zernike campus.

A General Assembly is a meeting to which every member (and only those) is invited to discuss the future and current state of the association. If you are interested in the internal affairs of Cover, come and join a discussion about events, the budget, the committees and exciting ideas. All major decisions are made at General Assemblies, so, needless to say, it is important that as many members as possible are present.

Relevant documents will be made available soon. They will be final one week in advance of the assembly and will be emailed to you then. From then, they will also be available in the Cover room. Please read them beforehand, to make the assembly go as smoothly as possible. Send relevant documents or wishes/comments to board@svcover.nl in case you want them included at the assembly.

We would kindly like to remind you that the chairman and treasurer of every committee are expected to attend. The reason is that they can explain and answer questions and discussions posed from members. If you cannot attend and are in one of the aforementioned functions, please inform the board beforehand, so we can prepare for it.

If you can’t attend, but still want your vote to count, please fill in the authorisation form, which can be found in the Cover room, and hand it over to the secretary of the board. Please use this responsibly and write down specifically how you want your vote to be used.

The sign-ups for the gala are going amazing! If you still want to take advantage of the €2,50 discount for members make sure to sign up before 15.00 (19 December)! After this time you can still sign up but will have to pay full price. Please be aware that the doors will open at 22.00 and CLOSE at 23.00, so make sure to be on time!

Hope to see you all there!
With love,
the 'tivitee

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It's December and that means it's time for a most wonderful gala

Join us with your friends at the most amazing Gala of the year.
You can get your ticket for only €25,- which includes free drinks (incl. locally distilled/binnenlands gedistilleerd).
If you want to take a date who is not a member of Cover, don't be afraid, your plus one is welcome as well for €25.00

January

After two weeks of holidays, it is time to get out of our rooms and get social again. Join us on the 9th of January at 't Gat van Groningen for a chance to greet your old friends, wish them a happy new year (if you haven't already) or maybe even make some new ones!

Do you also ever wonder what PhD students do? Or are you just interested in the different kinds of research you will be able to do once you finish your masters? Maybe you are also just interested in socialising with a PhD student? Join us on Thursday the 10th for the first PhD talk, where PhD students come talk about their work. There will be some free drinks during the event as well and you can chat with the PhD'ers afterwards as well.

Getting stuck in your matrix calculations, or are you pushing your own limits trying to grasp all this 'quickmaffs'? Then come join our support lecture calculus! Here we'll go through some practice exam exercises with the whole group, and give some useful tips in preparation for the exam. Be there or B^2 !

In this support session we will be giving examples from the five main topics; Sinusoidal Waves, Spectrums, LTI Systems, Fourier Analysis, and Z-Transformations. These examples will be taken from previous exams and tutorial exercises.

Are you bored of not playing enough board games? Abort your plans on Thursday night. All aboard the Board board game night. We might have gone a bit overboard with this message, but bored Board does board board board.

Meet with us after the TAD to go and extend the evening with board games with your friends! If you are up for a calm but fun evening, this is the right event for you. We will be at the back of Grand Café Time Out.

Troubles with Discrete Structures? The graphs getting confusing or don't remember all your closures? Then come to this study support lecture. Where we will overview the exam material and practice the difficult problems.

Do you have any problems with Introduction to Logic? Do you want help in preparing for you exam? During this study support session, we will aim to discuss every topic in the course, with special attention going out to topics such as Semantics and Formal Proofs.

Join this last unofficial lecture given by students who have passed this course in the past. There will be ample opportunity to ask questions.